Compare Student Life and Engineering Programs for Illinois vs. Michigan etc.

<p>My d is in the process of deciding which schools to apply to. She visited Michigan (which she really liked) and did a self tour of Illinois last summer (Sunday morning with few students visible on campus). We would like to hear how campus/student life and the engineering programs compare and contrast. Any current students or current parents' perspective is appreciated. She will also apply to OSU and Wisconsin. Her interest is possibly Industrial Engineering but she is somewhat undecided on which engineering discipline.</p>

<p>The hooks for Illinois for my son in 2010 were direct acceptance into his program of choice. Michigan, UW-Madison where he was also accepted, required an application post freshman year classes to be admitted to a particular program. Since your daughter is undecided, that hook doesn’t matter. Illinois was instate even though instate tuition was relatively high as instate tuition rates go. Merit Aid at large publics is not a draw at any of them. I can only speak for the Aerospace Engineering program, but the quality of education is outstanding. One key is that research is always bountiful. Many of the Engineering programs at Illinois and Michigan are among the best in the nation, with several in the top 5. My son was on a team that built a rocket his freshman year, another team designed and built a model airplane his second year, and his senior year he was the propulsion engineer on a team that designed a business jet. He’s entering grad school in the fall.</p>

<p>Campus life for an engineer is fine. There’s no pressure to join a frat or sorority, and most engineers are too busy for that anyway. The foundation classes in Math, Physics and Chemistry are challenging but necessary preparation for core program coursework. That doesn’t mean there’s not plenty of time for extracurricular activities, but each person needs to achieve their own balance. Wherever your daughter decides to go, that first term, I believe, is critical in finding that balance since there are so many new experiences from being on your own, to selecting your courses, to self-motivation for study, and new study techniques. My son could just grab his books in high school, learn the material and spit it back on tests very well. In college, the material comes at you twice as fast, and you need to decide for yourself if the techniques you used in high school still work given the pace of things in college. My son had to head to office hours (the professors are very available) frequently to fully understand many of the nuances of the subject matter. Some people thrive in study groups. Others require tutoring. All are available. At Illinois, they don’t want you to fail. Once admitted, help is readily available, but you need to take the initiative to seek it out. If you fall behind, it’s difficult to catch up, so each student needs to be able to do a self-assessment on a regular basis, and take corrective action right away, if needed.</p>

<p>Champaign and Urbana are small towns but essentially exist because of U of I, and I’ve always thought it was interesting how the city and campus intertwine and exist side-by-side. Buses are free to students, so the shopping Malls with retailers from high end to walmart and target are available. Chicago is two hours away by train, and bus service to and from Champaign and Ohare and various stops throughout the greater Chicagoland area is frequent, and about a 3 hour trip with stops. Day trips to Chicago are very doable on weekends when time permits and world class sights abound from Navy Pier to the Museums and Theaters to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.</p>

<p>That pretty much sums it up. Good luck to your daughter whatever she decides.</p>

<p>Bathezar: Thank you for your thoughtful response. And best wishes to your son in grad school. We are glad to hear that while the engineering is challenging, there are resources and ways to go get support. Nothing worse for a parent than to get the feeling that there’s massive weeding out. </p>